Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has strongly criticised the Tamil Nadu government's decision to replace the rupee symbol with a Tamil character in its budget logo for 2025-26, describing the move as indicative of a dangerous mindset that undermines Indian unity.
The state government's new logo, unveiled on Thursday, featured 'Ru,' the first letter of the Tamil word 'Rubaai,' which refers to the Indian currency in the local language.
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Sitharaman called out the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party for its stance, stating in a post on X that the party should have voiced its opposition when the rupee symbol was officially adopted by the United Progressive Alliance government in 2010.
"Ironically, '₹' was designed by Th D Udaya Kumar, the son of former DMK MLA N Dharmalingam. By erasing it now, the DMK is not only rejecting a national symbol but also utterly disregarding the creative contribution of a Tamil youth."
The finance minister further stated that the issue goes beyond symbolism. "It signals a dangerous mindset that weakens Indian unity and promotes secessionist sentiments under the pretence of regional pride," Sitharaman said. She also called it "a completely avoidable example of language and regional chauvinism."
In defence, the DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu asserted that there was nothing wrong with using the native language in the state's budget documents. State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu is set to present the budget for 2025-26 on Friday in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Sitharaman further said that the rupee symbol '₹' is internationally recognised and plays a key role in promoting India's identity in global financial transactions. "At a time when India is pushing for cross-border payments using UPI, should we really be undermining our own national currency symbol?" she asked.
"All elected representatives and authorities are sworn under the Constitution to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of our nation," she said. "Removing a national symbol like '₹' from the state budget documents goes against that very oath, weakening the commitment to national unity."
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